Junkyards are usually packed with common vehicles that no one will miss. Sure, it’s sad to see rows and rows of old Chevys and Ford rotting away, but it doesn’t make financial sense to restore a classic that’s not worth all that much. But some junkyards also include hidden gems. This Kansas car graveyard is one of them.
We don’t know the exact location of this scrapyard, but the folks over at YouTube’s “IowaClassicCars” recently published a detailed walkaround of the place. And like most junkyards out there, it’s packed with mangled classic cars covering every decade from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Not surprisingly, it’s also loaded with Chevrolet Impalas. You won’t find first-gen or SS models, but look close enough and you’ll spot lots of third- and fourth-generation models. Of course, they’re joined by various versions of the Tri-Five, the most popular Chevrolet from the mid-1950s.
Ford and Mopars from the era are also well represented, particularly the Plymouth Belvedere. Unfortunately, most of them are in really bad condition, either too rusty to save or missing several components.
But this junkyard also includes a few rare gems. They’re not multi-million-dollar classics, but you don’t get to see them too often. One of them is a bubble-top Buick. Most likely a 1961 LeSabre, it’s a one-year wonder and a GM you rarely see on public roads. You don’t see them in junkyards either because Buick didn’t build too many of them. Bubble-top Buicks were as popular as their Chevrolet counterparts.
Sadly, this car is not only in terrible shape, but it’s missing quite a few parts, too. It’s been in a crash, too, so it’s nothing more than a parts car right now.
I also spotted a 1958 Chevrolet Delray. Introduced to replace the 150 in the company’s full-size lineup, the Delray was only offered in 1958. It was a no-frills, entry-level Chevrolet that was slotted under the Biscayne, it was discontinued after just one year in showrooms. Yes, it’s nowhere near as fancy as a Bel Air or an Impala, but it’s one of those late-1950s Chevy that you won’t see very often.
If the Delray is too cheap for you, this junkyard is also the resting place of a second-generation Imperial. Chrysler’s luxury division from 1955 to 1983, Imperial built quite a few cool cars in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The 1960 Crown sedan found here is one of them.
Part of the Series PY1 that was offered that year, the Crown is quite the glorious machine design-wise. Assuming that you like the wildly exaggerated styling of the era, which included a frowning front fascia with a swooping bumper and massive rear fins with bullet-style taillights at the top.
Granted, this Imperial has seen far better days, but it’s largely complete, it has a straight body, and it comes with the original engine under the hood. Perhaps the only vehicle worth saving?
The list of interesting cars spotted in this junkyard also includes a few second-generation Chevrolet Camaros and at least three Dodge Challengers. Oh, and someone abandoned an MG B sports car in here. Not exactly rare, but a curious sight in a North American scrapyard. Check them all out in the video below.